Colin Farrell addresses his iconic Batman villain missing 2 major Penguin design staples

With the show pulling impressive ratings and viewership numbers, The penguin Star Colin Farrell has spoken about two of the most notable design changes to the iconic DC villain. The show is notable for its loose relationship with DC Comics lore, which has drawn divided responses from fans of the original character.

Appearing at New York Comic Con to promote the show, which has just reached the mid-season point, Farrell was asked if his take on Oz would be seen wearing a monocle and top hat in later episodes. His good-humored response suggests that any talk that happened about a more comics-accurate penguin didn’t get very far:

“The bodies I had to bury to get a cigar”.

Why Penguin’s redesign ignoring the comics works for Penguin

Colin Farrell may have struggled to keep at least one comics-accurate detail in his Oz Cobb performance, but the show was never going to be a pure adaptation of Batman’s comics. The penguin Show-runner Lauren LeFranc sets the agenda for The Batman Spin off well before it’s released, Check out why her version consciously ignores some of the character’s more iconic design choices:

“I wanted to make sure we could appeal to people who hadn’t seen it or didn’t think it was for them, who wouldn’t necessarily be interested in a comic book show. I don’t see our show as a comic book show. I look at it more like a crime drama…definitely a character-driven drama. I wanted to make sure we could appeal to more people because we try to tell stories that are relatable and a little different. I hope people who aren’t necessarily fans of the genre would be interested in this show. – Source: term

Matt Reeves also spoke openly about his Batman universe being more grounded and consciously avoiding more supernatural characters. The same logic clearly extends to universe-breaking design elements that could serve as DC Easter eggs, but that wouldn’t fit the character. Basically, Oz Cobb wearing a top hat and monocle simply wouldn’t suit the Penguin’s new beginning as a street-level gangster with big aspirations.

Our look at Colin Farrell’s Penguin design

It’s still incredible to think that Colin Farrell is even playing the Penguin. The prosthetics are completely believable, and his performance is so transformative that convincing anyone out of the loop that it’s the same actor wouldn’t be easy. There are subtleties to his Penguin design that may be overlooked as well: His facial scarring – which effectively gives him a beak-like appearance – for example adds a lot without the show even needing to explore their origins explicitly.

Additionally, Oz wears outfits that he believes reflect his status. Just as his garish purple car is his ideal of what power and money looks like, his lavish suits are a sign of how out of touch he is with the high-class circles he aspires to break into. Having him wear a monocle and top hat would be overkill and would completely overwhelm the effect. The penguin Deftly avoids this problem, whether Farrell is happy with it or not, and if Oz wins his mission to take over Gotham, his future may well see him adopt a more comics-accurate look.

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